It's a kind of - there's references to other songs in it, including "You're A Queer One, Julie Jordan" from - that's from "Carousel," right? Cecily Strong is good at women. Our schoolmarm is Emma Tate. . And so we'll hear Cecily Strong doing a little solo in part of this as Keegan-Michael Key objects (laughter) to her participation. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) And newsflash, Michael - 40% of children are just their legs. And "Corn Puddin'" suddenly came to me as just a - it's kind of the perfect representation of these sort of songs like the - it's "A Real Nice Clambake." PAUL: (Singing) So now that there's COVID-19 PAUL AND DAURIO: (Singing) Here's what we're going to do. I got the recipe. And so that's really - that's when my love affair with musicals began. And, you know, she talks about, like, other men are really harsh and - but he's gentle, you know, like a lacy valentine. Strong was hired for SNL while doing improv at The Second City in Chicago, where she moved . He's a queer one, that man o' mine. And my guest, Cinco Paul, co-created the series, co-wrote it and wrote all the songs. Cecily Strong. It's not like I drove myself. GROSS: How did you come up with the idea of a musical about people trapped in a musical set in the early 20th century? I was a new cast member. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) Wow. So they'll be - I think that'll brighten her day. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Oh, no - no, no, no, no, no, no. But what really cracked it for me was, oh, instead of two friends, it should be a couple. Andrew Singer executive produces with Lorne Michaels on behalf of Broadway Video. And, like, we're ending someone's, like, educational career right now in this moment, and you're playing a game with it. It just felt like, I've fallen through the cracks. We'll hear two interviews related to the series. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) No. And so it was like, I was going to be a fifth-year senior, which just felt bonkers. And you go like, whoa, what's that? That was so weird. So you're back on Fox. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Oh, I think they want us to take a verse. And you kind of have a song parodying that called "Corn Puddin'.". Luckily for us, but maybe - who knows for the greater world - someone else can judge luckily or not, but she became more popular and more of a household name. Later, we'll hear from Cinco Paul, who co-created the series and wrote all the songs. He's a queer one, that man o' mine. Keegan-Michael Key's character hates musicals and is desperate to leave. I love the show so much. total viewers were 4.1 million after three weeks lingering around 3.7 million. Strong also has a new memoir called "This Will All Be Over Soon." And he sings a song that kind of is a "Secret Love" kind of song (laughter) but PAUL: Yes, where he inadvertently reveals to Cecily's character that he's gay. I was licking a soft-serve ice-cream cone. STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) Here's a thought, Michael - maybe try being woke for a change, OK? What was it like for you to go from this heightened sense of anxiety and depression to flying to - was it Vancouver? So we just were relying on testing. And they embraced me. And then just being loud and over annunciating and trying to have a stern look, you know? And, you know, their - a lot of their movies were kind of musicals. Like, clearly it was a thing for Rodgers and Hammerstein. In October of 2021, it was announced that Cecily will make her New York stage debut in an off-Broadway production, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in . MsMojo 2010s snl cast memembers where are they now 2010s snl cast members 2010 saturday night live cast members jay pharoah taran killam vanessa bayer aidy bryant kristen wiig leslie jones bobby moynihan cecily . She has had numerous popular celebrity impressions in SNL. And he was showing me clips of her, like, doing man-on-the-street interviews. I want to get to another song. I - you know, it's hard. GROSS: Another little clue. You know, "The Coconauts," "Animal Crackers," "Horse Feathers" has a lot of songs in it. Cecily Strong's character loves musicals and is initially charmed. Could be fun. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE"). (As characters, singing) Then he says something mean to get her back. They smoke and drink and yell, leave you flat, or, even worse, they stay and make life hell. GROSS: That's really funny. Strong said, admitting she immediately said yes to starring in the show, even though she thought the idea was "insane." Leigh Silverman is the director of the off-Broadway revival of The Search . CHE: (As himself) So I assume you're not happy with the election. . I sure would like a taste. We'll be right back after we take a short break. KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I mean KEY: (As Josh Skinner) Look, this whole thing is insane. I think that's why, for 25 years, nothing happened with it because it was - it needed that addition to really crack it. Can we please go now? Just like the idea, you know, that it's like, you can have so much passion and feelings about these things that you don't really understand and haven't given much thought to and using them to sort of put down other people. she frequently saw Broadway performances and occasionally got to go backstage to meet their casts because her uncle is a Broadway producer in an interview with Terry Gross for the National . And then kind of like, well, I don't know that we'll ever get to do that again. And the trees are tall, and we call it Schmigadoon. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Mrs. Menlove, forgive me for asking, but how much do you really know about your husband? NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. It was my first year talking with Colin. Just like the idea, you know, that it's like, you can have so much passion and feelings about these things that you don't really understand and haven't given much thought to and using them to sort of put down other people. STRONG: I said no, actually, at first to going to Vancouver and shooting because I was - I really was afraid. and also a terrific revival of "How To Succeed In Business," a Sondheim tribute. There's a song called "Something Wonderful" from "King And I" and another song from "Carousel" called "What's The Use Of Wond'rin?" Actress, writer, producer, and all-around comedy titan Cecily Strong has built up quite the resume over the last few years. GROSS: And this was pretty early in the pandemic, right? I am just trying to figure out how to get out of here and get back to reality. I've always loved musicals. And so it's like, I knew I was kind of - it wouldn't last, this safety that I was feeling by being vaccinated. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) But not together. Yeah, I got handcuffed and brought to a cop car and taken to the station. I think I took my first drama class when I was 3. Our interview was recorded in August. Let's get back to my interview with Cinco Paul. Here with her final thoughts on this election is the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. And they're sitting on the porch and about to have breakfast, and they're asked if they want some corn pudding. How were you first exposed to musicals? (TV-14. I mean, they - I got it expunged from my record by doing a hundred hours of community service, and I wound up really loving the community service I did. And so we play with that trope as well. STRONG: Oh, definitely. GROSS: Let's hear you as the Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party. And then one is the older sort of father figure love interest, you know, that you see in "King And I" and "Sound Of Music" and "South Pacific." Mean, horny men lying on in-home hospital beds and white prison gangs who control the remote on Saturdays, thank you for watching. HARADA: (As Florence, singing) Sometimes it may seem like he is too good to be true, like there's a man that I can't see just aching to break through. And, you know, everybody that was there was supposed to be there. I'm Terry Gross, and this is FRESH AIR. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR #2: (As character, singing) Every steak's bound to have some fat. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) OK. Well, that one's on you. Photo: Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images. And this is from the February 20, 2017, edition of "Saturday Night Live." He's become a little more of a fan. So here you are on "Weekend Update" as Judge Jeanine Pirro. Yeah. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) I got us corn puddin'. PAUL: Well, it's kind of crazy. So how much do you love musicals? Apple TV+. And I think Hal Willner, our music producer, had passed away the night before or something. I don't know exactly where you live. And so - but everything that is evidence that he's gay, she sees as a really positive quality. This is a colostomy, Michael Che. And I think they knew that about me. And she's vaccinated. was a lifetime in the making. And she used the playbill and a lot of those pictures. Like, what are you thinking? And it's just, oh, a song just about food. UNIDENTIFIED CHORUS: (As characters, singing) My guy loves corn puddin'. COLIN JOST: Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro returned to television tonight after being suspended two weeks for controversial comments about a Muslim congresswoman. And I think my uncle probably didn't want me to be an actor as much as I did, just knowing that it was a tough life. STRONG: (As Melissa Gimble) Then what are you saying? KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I'm not saying anything, but apparently some cosmic verdict has been reached, and we failed. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) I didn't say that. It's still - and I think, like, even though that seems crazy to say in the middle of summer, I think it's been a wild couple of years, and so I'm just - I'm OK with not knowing. She's also . During her youth, she often attended Broadway shows, thanks to her uncle's career as a . So I'd like you to talk a little bit about what you think of those moments in musicals where you have to sing about food or a picnic or a clambake. ", a satire of classic musicals from the '40s and '50s. And I think a lot of that, you can feel it when you watch the show, and I think that's probably why I enjoy rewatching it so much is just taking myself back there. And we are able to do musicals in a time when Broadway is shuttered, and that's so depressing to walk next to. We'll be right back after a short break. You want to try with other people? OK, can you just please tell us about the candidates? That's where everything's OK. But I didn't really know what to do with it, so it was one of those that I just filed away. GROSS: Did you get to meet the actors? STRONG: (As The Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party) Here's a thought, Michael - maybe try being woke for a change, OK? The off . GROSS: How were you introduced to music of that period? If you're just joining us, my guest is Cecily Strong. That's called a double standard. It was so funny, and I just loved it. PAUL: From your mouth to God's ears. Which - a lot of your memoir is about living through the pandemic, like, the first almost year of the pandemic. I think there's nothing more thrilling than hearing Terry Gross likes (laughter) your show and (laughter) enjoys it and it has joy from it. And then they went, oh, wait a minute; there's one more pocket. STRONG: (As Jeanine Pirro) Can't do it, pal. So that's when I joined SAG. And so I think, more than anything, it made me realize, like, that's what depression does to you. STRONG: No. And so it makes me want to, like, poke harder. And it is - there is something weird about these old men, you know, sort of creating works of art in which there are these May-December romances. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) No. I am just trying to figure out how to get out of here and get back to reality. KEY: (As Josh Skinner) We already tried together. GROSS: And it just reminded me, too, that when I was in school, we had to learn some of that kind of dancing - you know, like, square dancing. 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